Departments
Study guide

In Texas, the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) regulates the training of people who work in home- and center-based facilities.
Must training meet criteria? DFPS recognizes clock hours or continuing education units (CEU) from various sources including 1) workshops offered by local school districts, colleges or universities, or child care licensing; 2) conferences; 3) self-instructional materials; and 4) planned learning opportunities. See minimum standards, §746.1317 for center-based care and §747.1315 for home-based care for further details.
All training must include specifically stated learning objectives; a curriculum, which includes experiential or applied activities; an assessment to determine whether the person has met the objectives; and a certificate of successful completion.
Does DFPS approve training resources or trainers for clock hours? No. It’s your responsibility to obtain relevant training from reliable resources. DFPS does recommend, however, that you preview all training materials and ask trainers to verify their knowledge of the subject—both experience and education, and training qualifications.
What is instructor-led training? This is usually a class led by an instructor, who communicates and interacts with learners by answering questions, providing feedback, and offering guidance or information on resources. Advantages include getting a break from the isolation of your work, networking and support, sharing knowledge, and learning about different practices in early care and education.
What is self-instructional training? This is training in which an individual works alone, at her own pace, to complete lessons or modules without the direction, assistance, or feedback of an instructor. That is why CPR and first aid training cannot be obtained through self-instructional training.
DFPS limits the number of annual training hours you can obtain from self-instructional materials. Check your minimum standards for details on these limitations; for home-based care, see §747.1325. For center-based care, see §746.1327.
How do I verify training for DFPS? To be counted toward compliance with minimum standards, the trainer or training source should provide you with a certificate or letter showing: your name, date of the training, title or subject of the training, the trainer’s name or the training source for self-instructional training, and the length of the training specified in clock hours, CEU’s, or college credit hours.
Keep all documentation in a safe place like a file cabinet or personnel file. DFPS licensing representatives may ask to review self-instructional materials to ensure training criteria are met. Do not mail your documentation to child care licensing or to the Texas Child Care Quarterly.
Can I use Texas Child Care for self-instructional training? Yes. DFPS will recognize two clock hours of self-instructional training credit from this issue, provided you do the following: 1. Review the checklist at right. 2. Study all articles that relate to your work with children. 3. Respond to the checklist with documented evidence (written descriptions, photographs, and charts, for example). Continue to study the article until you can provide documentation and answer “Yes” to each skill. 4. Attach a copy of the checklist or a cover page to your documentation. Be sure to include your name, the date you completed the documentation, and identify the issue and titles of the articles you studied.

Learning objectives and evaluation checklist

Expressing anger: What’s appropriate—and effective? (page 2)
I can list in writing the three primary ways of expressing anger with the pros and cons of each.
I can explain why venting is an ineffective means of expressing anger.
I can describe in writing and with lesson plans, portfolio entries, and journals the ways in which I have helped children deal with their emotions.

What shape is it? Activities that explore line, dimension, and size (page 10)
I can provide the tip sheets and handouts that I’ve used to help parents understand how studying shape relates to other elements of children’s learning.
I can provide documentation with lesson plans, photographs, and work samples children’s participation in at least five of the activities described in this article.

Talking with children: about their bodies (page 18)
I can provide the tip sheets and handouts that I’ve used to help parents understand how children learn about their bodies.
I can provide documentation with lesson plans, photographs, and work samples children’s participation in at least five of the activities described in this article.

How to encourage Hispanic family involvement (page 24)
I can provide written evidence of my understanding of the importance of parent involvement.
I can list at least three barriers to Hispanic family involvement in early education programs.
I can document with activity logs, photographs, and journals at least four ways in which I have attempted to bridge the barriers of culture, language, and expectations with the parents of the children in my group.

Building engaging science labs—outdoors (page 30)
I can describe in writing at least four ways in which outdoor science activities benefit children.
I can list the four components of a successful outdoor science environment.
I can provide documentation with activity logs and photographs the ways I have implemented outdoor science lab activities.

Classroom pets: Cute, educational, and maybe dangerous (page 40)
I can document in writing my understanding of the benefits of classroom pets.
I can provide the tip sheets and handouts that I’ve used to help parents understand the dangers of tiny turtles and Salmonella.